HeRo robot in Ruoholahti on November 29, 2023. Photo: Vesa Laitinen
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The city of Helsinki is taking a futuristic approach to package delivery this holiday season, piloting an autonomous delivery robot that promises to bring parcels directly to doorsteps in the Ruoholahti and Jätkäsaari areas. This innovative project, managed by the city’s innovation company, Forum Virium Helsinki, is part of a test running through the end of 2023.
With the logistics sector constantly expanding, the future increasingly lies in automation and reducing emissions, especially during peak times like Christmas,
when package stations are often overloaded and home deliveries require customers to wait at home for hours. The HeRo robot, a creation of LMAD company, is an electric, talking, and autonomously moving delivery robot that offers a precise one-hour delivery window for packages.
The HeRo robot, endearingly designed, became operational in the Ruoholahti and North Jätkäsaari regions and has been warmly received by the public. It represents a significant step towards smarter, more sustainable urban logistics.
“We first tested HeRo’s functionality and public acceptance in Kalasatama from May to August, where the talking robot delivered tools from Würth Center Sörnäinen to local construction sites,” says Satu Reijonen, project manager at Forum Virium. The trial garnered significant interest, even attracting innovators in smart city development from Asia.
This new phase focuses on emission-free delivery of online shopping orders. “We’re exploring how consumers respond to this novel service and whether it could be the future of smarter logistics,” Reijonen adds. The service is particularly aimed at neighborhoods lacking local post offices, like Jätkäsaari and Ruoholahti.
Looking ahead to Spring 2024, Forum Virium Helsinki plans to expand cooperation between various logistics players. “The next step is to optimize delivery routes more re
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
